


Newly Forged

by RoninReverie



Series: The Dragon Prince Stories [2]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, First Crush, First Relationship, M/M, Meddling Friends, Teenage Dorks, Training, Young Love, crafting weapons, in the past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 00:40:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21788470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoninReverie/pseuds/RoninReverie
Summary: Runaan wasn't thrilled about being stationed in Silvergrove to train potential guards and assassins, but when a chance visit to the local craftsman proves more informative than Runaan bargained for, his friends decide to test the surprising new connection their stoic companion has created between himself and the local tinkerer, Ethari.
Relationships: Lain/Tiadrin (The Dragon Prince), Runaan/Ethari (The Dragon Prince), Runaan/Tinker | Necklace Elf (The Dragon Prince)
Series: The Dragon Prince Stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1570201
Comments: 42
Kudos: 91





	1. Splitting Arrows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: December 26, 2019

_**FWIP!** _

It had been several days since the head of the assassin's guild ordered their members to travel to the local Moonshadow villages in search of up and coming warrior material, promising young elves who had a spark of fight in them and could bring stronger foundation to their elite. 

_**FWIP!** _

Runaan was specifically requested to be stationed here in Silvergrove alongside two others, Lain and Tiadrin. He had trained with them since childhood and their skills were unparalleled among the other assassins their age, maybe even beyond that. In their time together, he'd come to know of them more as friends than he did as mere comrades at arms, and he shared a confidence that they felt the same about him. Those two had actually been born here and had been selected at a young age to come train with the guild for their potential. _Their_ assignments here made sense, but Runaan had no blood ties to this place. _Or well—_ none aside his obvious duty to the people, and the services he had sworn to uphold on their behalves.

_**FWIP!** _

_Ugh!_ But this... _place!_ It was such a small village, one with a low population, and it was known across all of Xadia for exactly three things: superior weapons forging, a raved about moonberry surprise recipe, and peaceful boring solitude. They were expected to live here in this place and train soldiers, but why was _he_ here? Runaan wondered. _Why not allow him to continue in the capitol where he could do more good? What were the leaders expecting him to accomplish here of all places when he was in the top of his class back in the guild?_

**_FWIP!_ **

The small crowd of those gathered applauded lightly as the forth of Runaan's arrows met its mark against the bullseye of the tapestry target.

“Not a bad demonstration, Runaan,” Lain said, his amused voice cutting through the gathering of awestruck murmurs and Runaan's own conflicting thoughts.

“A paltry warm-up!” he replied, a spark in his eye returning the compliment as he readied his bow for another round. "But I can do better."

Lain rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Here we go again...”

_**FWIP! FWIP! FWIP! FWIP!** _

He fired four more arrows in sequence, splitting each shot as he struck a set of perfect bullseyes once again. What once were polite murmurs in the crowd grew instantly into shocked and amazed cheers as the others present marveled loudly at Runaan's skills.

“Aha! There!" He laughed. "Now that’s a worthwhile demonstration, isn’t it?”

“If you say so, but—” He smirked and made a gesture over with his head. “You’re the one who's going to have to explain the loss of arrows to Tiadrin.”

“Runaan!”

Both of the young men flinched and turned to face the fuming young woman who was now stomping down the hill and over to their group.

Runnan swallowed, perparing himself for the worst.

“Ah! Yes... Tiadrin... and how are you this morning?”

"I was just coming down to check on all the noise. You must be giving quite the demonstration down here?" Her voice was chipper though her eyes were already narrowed, the sight of the targets making them look all the more irritated. She flipped her facade, growling at them both as she proceeded to snatch the bow out of Runaan's hands. “We were sent here to help train a new group of potential warriors—” The bow suddenly whipped around to his face and the elf leaned back, arms held up in surrender as the wood pressed into his chin and her voice rose to a shout. “NOT TO SHOW OFF!”

He gently pushed the weapon away, blowing a strand of long white hair out of his eyes as he returned her silent threat with a smug look.

“It was just a little demonstration, Tiadrin. Now these recruits have a larger goal to strive for in their archery practice. No harm done.”

“Not when you leave them four arrows short of a bundle!”

She pointed, the supply of about twenty arrows now decreased to twelve due to the damages sustained by his shots.

"I tried to tell him?" Lain shrugged, earning a look from both of his friends before he backed his way out of the argument.

"Look! The crafter of Silvergrove was kind enough to loan us a few weapons to train with on such short notice for these new camp exercises they're having us do. The least we can do in return is try not to break them all on our first day! You think that weapons just fall out of the sky?"

Back in the guild they had ample supplies to train with. _Perhaps he should have taken into account the resources they'd be given now that they were training somewhere else?_

“I see…” Runaan stretched, a bit of guilt slipping in his tone as he considered her words.

“Oh yeah, I bet you see!” she mocked, slamming the bow back into his hands and pointing up the hill. “Lain will take over here for a bit. You march yourself right up to the blacksmith and get him to forge us some more arrows to replace the ones you broke by being a show off!”

With a sigh he nodded and started off without further argument. It wouldn't amount to anything if he did. Tiadrin had always had a way of winning the last word in any conversation, and as much as he hated to admit it, she did have a bit of a point.

“Fine, fine. I’m going.”

“And be sure to pay for em’ yourself, you hear me, Runaan!?”

He waved at her behind his back as he walked away and disappeared over the hill.

_“Pfft!”_

“And what are you laughing at?” She snapped back towards Lain, amusement hidden beneath the fire in her tone. “These people are still here to learn, so get to teaching! We’re not stationed here for you two to be dilly dallying all day long, now are we?”

“No Tiadrin.” He said, grinning a little afterwards as he patted her back and added, “Way to keep us all on track. See, that’s why they put you in charge.”

“I’m _in charge_ because I’m the only one out of the three of us who has a brain they actually bother to use every now and again. Now get a move on! I don’t want to have to come down here to check on you again.”

“Aww, but it’s been the highlight of my morning so far.”

She shot him a sharp look that softened a bit and then she tilted her head to the side, her voice teasing him as she pressed a finger into his chest.

“Spare a little of that doe eyed enthusiasm to focus on your work here, alright Lain?”

“Aye aye ma’am.” He laughed. “I’ll keep it in check until later tonight? Say around six at the Moonberry Cafe? I've heard a lot of good things about it and we haven't had the chance to check it out yet since we've been back.”

She blushed a little and swatted him off, pointing a warning finger in his direction.

“If you have time to flirt, then you have time to teach. Now, get to it. We'll see what happens after that.”

With a laugh, he nodded and the two split to take care of their groups, Lain with the arrows, and Tiadrin for hand-to-hand combat. For now, that was about as close as he could get to a date confirmation with her while everyone else around. He'd take her answer as a soft yes though. A better tour of the place would really help her to ease her nerves and loosen up a bit.

She and Runaan could be complete sticks in the mud when they wanted to, but with a little work, they could all be laughing and having fun again like they used to back at the guild. Tiadrin was the easy fix, but Runaan... he would need something stronger, though _what,_ Lain wasn't sure he knew how to provide. He wasn't thrilled about getting assigned here, and he was bored, a tricky combination for someone like Runaan. Whatever might help him settle better into their new life though, Lain was determined to find it. There had to be something in this village that could help Runaan. _But... what?_

* * *

Runaan muttered all the way over to the cliff side where a grand studio waited above a ramped platform, the craftsmanship quaint just like every other building in Silvergrove but on a much grander scale. Smoke was streaking out through the pipes above as the sounds of metal accompanied by a sudden wave of heat grew more prominent the closer Runaan got to the door.

**_*TING-TING!*_ **

A soft little bell jingled above to announce his entrance and he watched it until closing the door behind him. Once inside, Runaan looked around the simple but otherwise empty shop area. Crystals lit the cave-like walls as intricate swirls made of wood and ivy decorated them like a forest scene as various swords and axes hung display-like alongside to promote their services provided in this workshop. There was a counter table blocking off the entrance from the back where a purple cloth separated the source of all the heat and sound. _The forging room,_ Runaan figured. _And since there appeared to be no one manning the front desk, the blacksmith must be back there alone._

“Hello?”

There was no response.

“Um? Hello?” Runaan called again, a bit louder as he aimed his voice to that back room. “I’m a customer here to see about some arrows? Hello?”

Again, no response, only the rhythmic **_*TING!* *TING!* *TING!*_** of tinkering tools from the other room. 

“Typical understaffed unprofessional—” Runaan sighed and rolled his eyes. _What else did he expect from a small village like Silvergrove?_

Placing a hand against the counter, he leapt over it and headed under the curtain to the workshop in the back. The area was even larger and more cave-like than the front, the decorative designs absent due to the harsh work that took place there. There was a stream of liquid fire which pulsed along the floors, lighting the workshop and everything in it with a faint red glow. Everything gave off the strong sensation of heat, every visible inch covered in black ash and soot, as chains, metal, and scrap were strewn along all corners of the room.

A lone man stood near his anvil towards the center, the beginnings of what looked to be a broadsword held in his fist, glowing orange as hot sparks leapt from the metal and onto the dark, dirty floors with each strike of his forging hammer.

 _ ***TING!* *TING!* *TING!**_ *

He worked on the metal with a strange hypnotic rhythm, his arms glistening sweat and defining muscle that revealed the true strength it took to forge his crafts. He wasn't any taller than Runaan was, but he was built round and sturdy along the chest like the trunk of a tree, a singed brown apron, over-sized gloves, and a heavy metal mask guarding him from stray fire as he slammed his tool back down against the weapon over and over again.

For a moment, Runaan could only watch, enthralled by such precise, powerful movements, but this was no time to become entranced at the art of crafting weapons, _impressive as it was._ He was here for arrows so Tiadrin would get off his back. A simple mission, nothing more, and as soon as it was done he could get back to testing the locals for potential warrior material, train them, and then fulfill his duties to the guild and the protection of his people. 

_"Ahem!"_ He cleared his throat and waved a little. “Excuse me.”

**_*TING!* *TING!* *TING!*_ **

He didn't appear to hear him. _The sounds might be too loud to be heard over?_ Runaan thought. _Best to speak up a little._

“I said _EXCUSE ME!”_

**_*TING! *TI—*_ **

The man looked up briefly, then back down, before his head shot up suddenly as if he couldn’t believe what he had just seen, and yet he was coming to the quick conclusion that he most definitely had. Once it registered, he let out a startled jump and lowered both working arms.

“What are you doing? Have you lost your mind? You shouldn’t be back here, it’s not safe for customers.”

The blacksmith set down his hammer and then dunked the red sword into a vat of liquid as steam rolled over the cauldron and around the air where the two stood. Runaan simply watched as he removed his pair of thick gloves and lifted his visor to reveal a stern pair of brown eyes and swirled markings on his cheeks and hands. Even the parts of him that weren't coated in grime revealed dark skin and light circular marks, more artistic than those he'd seen on other elves. His jaw was strong, lips pursed in his direction as he dusted a bit of ash out of his hair and the one shaved side of his head. 

Runaan blinked.

"Hello, anybody home in there?" The man asked, waving one of his hands in front of Runaan's eyes. The voice and face were visibly young despite the much larger, stronger features of his body. In fact, he didn't look much older than Runaan was.

 _An apprentice perhaps?_ He wondered.

“Yes. Yes!" Runaan repeated, coming back to his senses and shaking his head. "Hello. Forgive my intrusion, but I'm here to request a purchase. Is there someone else here I can speak with? A master of some sort perhaps?” 

“Well, it's your lucky day because you're already speaking with him.” The man smirked a little, if not to cover up the bit of the insult he surely felt. “My name’s Ethari, master crafter and forger of Silvergrove. This shop your encroaching around just so happens to be mine.”

“W-wait… you’re the master blacksmith?” he asked dumbfoundedly.

“At your service.” Ethari bowed his voice masking sarcasm. 

“Forgive me, it’s just… well, you seem a bit young?”

“I could say the same of you and your profession.” He winked and Runaan felt something stir in his chest. _Shock? Anger? Embarrassment?_ He couldn’t be sure, but he held his ground as this Ethari put his tools away and motioned back towards the storefront. “You must be one of those top-notch assassins they sent down here to protect and train the locals. Explains why you’d have no trouble prancing back here into the fire while I’m in the middle of my work.”

Runaan frowned.

“Excuse you, but I do not _“prance”_ anywhere!”

Ethari stared at him for a long moment and then broke his facade to laugh as he lifted the curtain for Runaan and motioned him out.

“Right... Well, you’re here now, and you’ve certainly earned my attention so—” He broke off and jabbed his head to the side, tapping the counter suggestively.

Runaan rolled his eyes and placed one hand on the table before hopping back to the other side with a single graceful leap.

Satisfied, Ethari stretched and placed both of his hands together, his smile almost mocking as he leaned forward and let out one content sigh.

“Now then, how may I help you? You said you had a purchase you wanted to request?”

Runaan took it all in, unsure of whether this boy was teasing him or not, and he shook his head to rid himself of any care he had to actually learning the answer.

“I’m just here to collect more arrows. Sound doable?”

“Ah yes, for your new training exercises.” Ethari nodded. “Makes sense, but were the two dozen I loaned out not enough for the undoubtedly _massive_ groups of wannabe assassins that showed up to learn from you?”

Runaan pursed his lips impatiently. 

_The forger was definitely teasing him, and this feeling he had was definitely anger._

“I don’t expect you to understand the intricacies of our trade, _forger._ Can you craft more arrows or do I resort to making my own of twigs and stone?”

Ethari laughed again.

“You could, but I wouldn’t expect even a master marksman like yourself to hit the broadside of a wall with them.”

Runaan’s brows arched in unison of Ethari’s lifting as he reached for a pen and parchment to document their transaction. 

“Right then. How many would you like? I am assuming you just want more standard wood arrows, or should I prepare something sturdier to accommodate your harsher training style? Wouldn’t want you going through them so quickly after only one day.”

“Standard? What differences could you possibly have for the making of a simple arrow?”

Ethari paused his writing and slammed a hand down on the tabletop.

“You’re joking right?”

He lifted the counter and walked through, Runaan suddenly wondering why he'd had him jump over the counter when there was a perfectly good way through on foot. Regardless, he followed him over to a side room and saw entire barrels full of arrows hiding away beneath the door, some wood, some metal, some with bright feathers, and others without. Ethari approached each one, pulling out random arrows as he spoke, and handing them each to Runaan to examine until his arms were nearly full of the thin weapons.

“There are four parts to any arrow and all sorts of combinations to think about before you just shoot off something at random from your bowstring! The shaft, the head, the fletching, the nock. Look! Look here! When you loose an arrow from the bow, it undergoes compression and will bend either a little or a lot. You will want to match the spine of the arrow to what you’re shooting. That all depends on what your arrow is used for. Target archery, hunting, bow fishing, sending messages— they all have specific arrows and specific bows they pair with, all affecting your accuracy. It’s not so simple as to say _“oh this one arrow will fire from the bow all the same!”_ No, no, there’s so much more to think about. It's much more than simply slapping together a couple of pointy rocks atop a twig.”

“I see…” Runaan grunted, his arms filled to capacity with more arrows than he was expecting to carry, one of them even managing to poke him in the side.

Ethari blushed a little, and retrieved his collection, placing each quickly back in its proper barrel with a personal organizational system that Runaan couldn’t completely keep track of. “Sorry. I get a little enthusiastic when I talk about this sort of thing.”

“Not a bad trait for a weapon’s maker, I suppose?” Runaan said with a grin forming, amused despite himself. There was also bit of chagrin once he noticed the sincere embarrassment of the blacksmith. “It appears that you and I may have gotten off on the wrong foot. My sincerest apologies for doubting your skill. You seem to really know your arrows.”

“Like you said, it comes with the territory."

Both smiled until an awkward silence filled the space between them, causing them both to fidget for a moment before Ethari finally clapped and lead them back out into the front together, breaking the silence with a nervous chuckle.

"Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the rare opportunities to craft all kinds of things, but making weapons is truly my specialty. Even one simple unnoticed variable and it could change the entire dynamic of what I’m making. It’s something I find rather exciting, and something I take into account before supplying those skilled enough to use such weapons like yourself. If I mess something up, you mess something up, and I guarantee your blunder would be much more dire than my own. It's a bit of pressure, but still thrilling all the same. I enjoy what I do, so it makes the work pass by quicker."

"Well there's certainly a lot more going into your craft than I thought on my way here." Runaan admitted. "When they supplied us weapons back at the guild, we never experienced all the work that went into each weapon, only the maintenance it would take to keep them sharp." He chuckled and shook his head. "No wonder Tiadrin was giving me such a hard time for wasting arrows."

"Wasting?" Ethari frowned.

"I split four bullseyes. I suppose it is possible that I was showing off... just a little..."

His brown eyes lit up and his smile widened from cheek to cheek.

"You split an arrow?! Four of them?! Just like _that?!"_

Runaan nodded, a bit of fluster creeping in as the forger leaned closer towards him.

"That's not a waste! That's incredible! I was giving you a hard time before, but you really are skilled if you're able to just _do that! Wow!_ I'm impressed."

"Really?"

"Of course! It's not everyday I see someone in here because they split their arrows. I just figured they were lost or stepped on or stuck up in a tree. Not this! The others are lucky to have a teacher like you here... uh...” He trailed off, gesturing for his name.

“Runaan.”

“Runaan.” Ethari repeated, the smile still in place.

The young assassin felt another rush in his chest and shoved it back down with a cough.

“Well! I suppose I should probably head back down... with the arrows, of course.”

"Oh! Right, of course!" Ethari jumped a little and grabbed the bushel of wood arrows he'd collected from the other room before tying them together with a neat green ribbon. "Anyway Runaan, I’m sure these will work just fine for simple target practice, assuming they don't wind up in your own bowstrings."

Another wink and this time Runaan felt his face blushing. Ethari didn't seem to notice it though as he wrote the transaction down in his book and told him the amount that was due.

"Perhaps I can offer you a small discount because of all the trouble?” 

“Oh... it wasn’t a lot of trouble! I mean, I should have practiced a bit more patience. I should apologize again for wandering into your work space unwarranted.”

“Well, it was a surprise, sure, but I don’t get a lot of people as bold as you wandering through, so it’s a nice change of pace. That, and I greatly enjoyed our talk. Thank you for that.”

Runaan swallowed, his eyes wandering before catching an intriguing sketch in Ethari's notebook as he pointed to deflect attention off of himself. 

“Umm, so what's that weapon on the schematic there? I've never seen anything quite like it. What does it do?”

Ethari followed his finger, realizing what Runaan was pointing at, and he turned a few different colors before he slammed his hands over the drawing.

“That!? Oh, that’s nothing! I mean… nothing real at least… it’s just a concept I was tinkering with… I— er— um…”

Runaan blinked silently.

Ethari noticed and settled down with a soft breath.

“Let me ask you a question. How many weapons are you good with, Runaan?”

“Many,” he replied simply. “Why?”

“I thought that carrying multiple weapons and being good with multiple weapons was a double edged sword, so to speak. I wondered what would happen if I could take two or more different types of weapons and combine them into one simple and efficient tool.”

“Without altering any of those fine intricacies you mentioned before with the arrows.”

Ethari’s smile brightened.

“Exactly!” He slid his hand over the design and sighed. “They tell me it will never work, that I should focus more on perfecting my craft as is, but I don’t know… I can’t help but be inspired to work on newer things... and well... I'm no Sunfire elf, but I can't shake this concept from the back of my mind that this is something I should try to forge someday. Silly, isn’t it?”

“No, I don’t think so?” Runaan hummed. “The design makes sense and the concept is completely unique. It would save carrying weight for foot soldiers and also permit them a tactical advantage in combat. If you can get your idea to work, then I think it’s a fine idea. Brilliant even.”

Ethari blushed now, a bit of air choking in the back of his throat as he fumbled his fingers together awkwardly.

“Wh-what weapons would you say are your strongest, Runaan?”

“The bow and arrow is my specialty, but I’m currently unmatched in a fight against dual swords. The range gives me effective proficiency in both close-quarters and long ranged combat.” He smirked. “Though I doubt your combination experiments could ever connect weapons so vastly different as those, right? Too bad.”

“They could be more alike than you might think. Perhaps they could even work well together if given the chance?”

There was a look in his eyes that Runaan wondered about. _Eagerness or something else?_ He decided not to try to figure it out for his own sake and grabbed for his new bushel of training arrows.

“If you say so master craftsman, then I suppose I should take your word for it.” He took in a deep breath after one more long and awkward moment, and then took a large step backwards. “Right! Well, good day to you then. Happy doing business with you, Ethari.”

He started for the exit as Ethari's lean on the counter caused him to briefly slip. He covered it up by straightening tall and tucking one hand under his arm as the other waved him out the door.

“Yeah, you too. Or— I mean it was nice chatting with you!” He blushed a little and waved a bit harder. “Please come again if you need more arrows. I can always make you stronger ones if you're looking to push yourself a bit more with your own training.”

"Thank you. I will consider it," He replied with a nod before he turned, and hurried away, his face unsure as to what kind of an exit that was before he made his way back to the training grounds below.

As he walked, Runaan studied the arrows, each sporting a swirled design that reminded him of Ethari's skin markings. All of them were visually pleasing and something he would have merely considered cosmetic if it hadn’t been for Ethari’s speech about small differences causing massive changes in even the simplest of weapons. He wondered suddenly if the swirls made the arrows more aerodynamic or improved their speed and accuracy in any way.

Just the thought of the tinkerer caused Runaan to feel himself smiling, unsure as to why, but there was something different about that guy... something nice, admirable even. He'd merely gone up there for more arrows, but he'd come back down with an array of new thoughts, questions, and strange emotions he hadn't been entirely prepared for. For some reason, they were strangely good feelings, and ones he wouldn't mind going through a second time if it meant he might talk with the young forger again soon.

The happy thought was quickly cut off as he re-entered the training grounds and was immediately met by his two companions.

“Took you long enough. Were you working out a bargain with the blacksmith or something?” Tiadrin accused, her arms folded together.

“Or something…” Runaan replied, a small smile accompanying the way he marveled at the arrows before he masked his face with a much stricter facade.

Lain and Tiadrin noticed the abnormality in a second and shot each other a look, then an unvoiced thought, a shared conclusion, and then equal condescending grins in Runaan’s direction.

“ _Ooh,_ what does that mean, Runaan?” Lain teased.

“Something we should know about?” Tiadrin added, nudging him softly with her elbow.

“Nothing!” he said grouchily, stifling a blush and clearing his throat as he shook them off and marched forward. “Let’s just get on with today’s lessons!”

He sauntered off, immediately going back to his old self and leaving his cohorts to whisper among themselves.

“Did you see that way he was looking at those arrows?”

“I’ve never seen someone as stoic as Runaan have such a soft expression before, have you?”

“Never!” Lain agreed. "Must be some shop up there, you think?"

“Or perhaps a chance encounter on his way there?” she pondered. “You know… if I didn’t know any better, I’d think our dear friend Runaan has a crush on somebody?”

“What!?” Lain exclaimed before Tiadrin covered his mouth to shush him and she pulled him closer before Runaan could notice. He appreciated the closeness, but had other things on his mind, whispering now as he continued. “This is Runaan we're talking about! You know, mister— _“I can’t believe they stationed us in this tiny village. This is going to be such a waste of our potential! We could all be in the Dragon Guard right now!”_ You know… that Runaan!?”

“You thinking what I’m thinking then?”

He nodded.

“We need to investigate this, and maybe get a good look at this blacksmith.” 

“But more importantly, we need to see if this person is our target, and just how exactly Runaan interacts with them one on one.”

“ _Huh!_ Who would have thought my morning to get any more interesting?” He grinned. “So, it's a date then?”

She smirked.

"Alright Lain, but I still kind of want to check out that moonberry place."

"Hey, nothing says we can't do both?"

"I suppose so?" She chuckled.

"We just have to make sure Runaan doesn't catch on. Any ideas on how to ditch him for the evening?"

"Simple. There's no way he'd want to tag along on our "date"." She winked. "With whatever free time he has, I'd wager he'd try to fill it with whatever new thing is making him smile like that, wouldn't you agree?"

"Tailing him it is then." He grinned. "Can't think of a better date than that."

They looked over at the unsuspecting elf below, their faces a match of mischief as their ploys were already underway. 

"This should be fun."


	2. Meddling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Runaan finds himself alone for the evening and roaming Silvergrove before mysterious and annoying forces lead him to right to Ethari's workshop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: December 27, 2019

"A date?"

"You heard us."

"Got a problem with that, Runaan?"

Runaan scoffed out a breath and rolled his eyes.

"No problems, but I thought you two better than wasting your time on something so trivial as dating." He took a sip of his tea and smirked beneath the rim of his cup. "Besides, Tiadrin, I'm sure you can do much better than Lain."

"Hey!?"

Lain shoved him once and nearly knocked the teacup out of his hands. Had it been anybody but Runaan, the cup probably would have spilled along the floor and shattered, but alas the young man had better reflexes than that. He chuckled a bit and then let his scowl return long enough to roll his eyes.

"Fine. Do whatever you want. It's not like I've ever been able to stop you before."

"Wow. Your blessing means the world to us," Lain’s deadpan voice mocked.

"So..." Tiadrin eased nosily, one of her fingers curling a long strand of his hair before he shooed her hand away. "What are your plans tonight while we're out?"

Runaan shot her a look and lifted a brow.

"The same as any other night. I'll meditate, maybe read a book, and then head off to bed."

"Ugh! That's so boring though. We've been in Silvergrove for days now. Don't you want to explore? Maybe see the town a little and make a few new friends along the way?"

"No." His look of suspicious curiosity melted rapidly into a bored frown. "And why are you acting so importunate all of the sudden?"

"No reason!" She said, popping back to a full stand. "Look, just think about it? We're going to be here a while, so you might as well try to enjoy yourself a bit."

"Yeah Runaan, live a little!"

"I'm living just fine," he said simply, his tone growing just slightly more irritated than was normal for him. "Now go on, you two have a date to waste the evening on. Try not to wake me up if you're back late. We still have training in the morning, so do try to be responsible with your time tonight."

"Well okay..."

"Try not to have too much fun while we're gone."

Runaan ignored them as they tiptoed away, both of their eyes locked on him as they eased out the door. They were acting strangely, even for those two, and Runaan knew they must have been up to something troublesome. _Perhaps they could just be growing awkward because of their date?_ Their bond with one another had been strong even as kids, and most in the guild could have predicted this outcome just by watching them interact with each other. Sometimes the surprises between two people are obvious to the world but the most shocking for those individuals actually going through the changes.

 _Good for them._ Runaan thought, his fingers tracing the shelf for something to occupy his time for the evening. _This was fine. Tiadrin and Lain deserved such small happiness in life such as mutual affection._

The life of an assassin was one shrouded in uncertainty, never knowing which day might be the last. If you could find an anchor to life to occupy those few moments outside of the job, many believed it to be something to strengthen your resolve and center. Runaan had always been told that, but he worried it might be much more difficult than a few simple words could control. To have connections complicated the mission, to fear death because one feared losing something precious to them— well, it went against all they were taught to believe. Still, somehow these connections were supposed to make them stronger and they were even encouraged to go out and find them. Runaan just could not discern the distinction between the two and he couldn't figure out why it was seen as a strength rather a liability and weakness.

He sat, turning the pages in his book beneath the faint glow of the moon crystals lighting their residence, but he couldn't manage to focus on any of the words within.

 _"Argh..."_ He grumbled, slamming the cover shut as he slumped down and stared off into the corner.

After waiting there for a few moments, he turned his attention towards the window where the street lights of the night's approach lit up the outside air with the warm glows of color and promising festivities.

 _Moonshadow elves do draw more power during the night than in the daytime,_ Runaan thought to himself, rising from his chair.

"Maybe it wouldn't kill me to go out and take a few strolls of the perimeter..."

He edged towards the door, his resolve shrinking as he reached out for the knob. He growled and shook his worries away, leaving the house before he could find another reason to stay.

* * *

"Look, look, look, here he comes!" Tiadrin whispered.

She and Lain leaned forward in the tree they perched above and watched as Runaan silently strolled away from their house.

"Told you he wouldn't be able to sit still all night if we were out."

"Right right... but what happens next?"

Lain stood and readied to leap from the branches.

"Now we tail him and see if our mystery element shows its face. If we're lucky we might just find what our dour friend is so beguiled by in time to make it to the Moonberry Cafe."

"Sounds perfect. I just hope it's a person rather than just some thing." She grinned, jumping down to the ground with a graceful flip thrown in for flair, her voice trailing like a shadow. "Ladies first!"

Lain watched her with a smile, leaning as far as the branches would allow him to watch before diving after a moment later.

_Now the real fun was about to begin._

* * *

Laughter filled Runaan's ears as he wandered through Silvergrove. There were families walking, talking, dancing, and playing both in their homes and in the streets, the lively sensations of peace and fun a somewhat new experience for the young assassin.

The elves of the assassin's guild knew how to have fun in their own ways. They laughed and danced of course, and they found fun in challenging activities such as sparring matches or races up to the peak of the Twilight Mountain. Runaan had _had_ fun before, and he had felt the bonds of familial and friendly tenderness and companionship, but the simplicity of the way the people of Silvergrove celebrated... the way the parents held their children close or the way people's faces made such serene expressions when they spoke pleasantries about their day... this sort of thing was on a whole other level than what Runaan had grown up with.

Smells of freshly made foods and freshly dewing grass filled his senses as he snuck towards a stack of barrels and then used them to take his stroll into the trees above. Even the leaves had a liveliness to them, so calm and arcane, as though they had watched over this simple village for centuries and knew all of their secrets. Meanwhile, fruits and flowers decorated the village, those ever glowing luminous lanterns making everything below him look like a fairy tale.

 _A beautiful, relaxing place,_ he thought. _But it was still just that... relaxing to the point that it was boring. Silvergrove was a wonderful place to retire or raise a family, it was not a place for a young elf in the prime of his life to waste away growing soft and complacent._

"Why would Maekrix send me here of all places? And when Lain and Tiadrin were already assigned here! What could I have possibly done for him to think me such a failure?"

He kicked at a stray pine cone in the tree and watched as it tumbled down into the grass below.

"Daddy, daddy! Look what I made!"

The sound of the small child caught his attention and he looked back towards a quaint home where the small elf ran up to his father, a drawing in hand, though from this distance Runaan couldn't really see its quality. Regardless, the father stared down at it as though it were the most priceless work of art his eyes had ever seen, and his smile stretched ear to ear as he knelt down to admire it with his boy.

"That's beautiful, son. Is that us?"

"Uh huh," the boy said bashfully.

"And what is that?"

"The pet Moonstrider I wanna get!"

The father let out a hearty laugh and patted the child on the back.

"Well, I don't know if your quite old enough for a Moonstrider, but you know what you should do is should show that to your mother. I'm sure it would make her night." He leaned forward and whispered something, making the child smile. _A secret or a joke maybe?_ Runaan couldn't quite tell.

He broke away and continued his path through the winding trees, a little fascinated at how different an upbringing children in this calm grove were raised in comparison to those at the guild. Lain and Tiadrin often had soft spots of compassion and empathy that some of the guild-born assassins like Runaan sometimes lacked. It wasn't that they were heartless monsters, but they saw more clearly for the sake of the mission and did not let such personal feelings get in the way of their work.

Had Runaan tried to give a drawing to his own father, he wondered what sort of reaction he might have had? Probably something stern or full of critique as was the norm for him. He was not a man known well for a bright, cheerful resolve, and many told Runaan he shared a lot of those traits. Though still... Runaan wondered if his relocation to Silvergrove was his father's idea at a joke.

 _Not that he would ever joke about something so important._ Runaan thought with a roll of his eyes. Besides, no Moonshadow assassin had ever been given two relocations. Runaan was kidding himself and he knew it all too well. This was no temporary placement, nor was it a joke. He would remain in Silvergrove until his final test was complete and should he fail to ever finish it, then he would remain here in the Silvergrove, even if it meant growing old and dying here in this tiny village.

He let out a groan and ran his fingers through his hair, leaping back into the grass with a soft thud as he traced the mountain wall protecting the grove from the rest of the forest.

**_*TING!* *TING!* *TING!*_ **

His ears perked up at the sound of those familiar melodic tools thrumming echos across the night air. The sounds were coming from Ethari's workshop, the smoke absent in the clear sky as a sea of stars painted the night. 

_So he was not in the back room forging fire, but he was still working at this late hour?_

Before he realized it, Runaan felt himself compelled to go forward, towards the shop as if led there by the siren song of Ethari's tinkering tools, but he stopped himself, breaking out of the trance with a sudden smack to his better judgement.

_No! No, no, no! You are not going up there again unless you actually need a weapon._

**_*TING!* *TING!*_ **

The sounds seemed to be mocking him now, so close now that Ethari's forge was in view. It looked dark but still somehow inviting beneath the moonlight as fireflies flickered around the cliffs. 

"Don't bother him." Runaan continued. "He's obviously very busy."

**_*TING!*_ **

"Maybe I'll just stop in to see what he's up to?"

He took a few steps up the ramp and then forcibly turned himself back round.

"No... that's stupid. He's not expecting anybody, and I don't have a good reason to show up out of the blue. If I go up there now, he'll be put off and it will be weird."

He paced and then started back up the ramp.

"Though perhaps we could go over more weapons for the classes? Would it be rude to ask about arrows for myself so soon after our last conversation? But what if he's working late because he's over-tasked? It's my duty to help the people of Silvergrove." Runaan considered before turning around again. "But not with their work, that's just strange, isn't it?"

This internal conflict within him went on for the next few minutes as Runaan found a reason to go up to the forger's shop only to think of an equal reason to turn back immediately after. To anyone watching, it would have been a pitiful sight, but Runaan was pleased for once that the training grounds and Ethari's shop were built so far away from the rest of the village.

* * *

**_*YAWN!*_ **

Lain stretched and rolled his neck as he and Tiadrin watched the pitiful sight below.

"Alright, this is just getting sad. He's been pacing back and forth talking to himself for a fifteen minutes. Should we not do something?"

Tiadrin rubbed her eyes and nodded back with a sigh.

"I think you're right. He's never going to make a move if we don't give him a bit of a push first."

"Got your pine cones?"

She nodded.

"Yep. You got yours?"

He nodded back, his bag full of the aforementioned obstructions collected through their shared boredom.

"Let's do this, then. I've got Runaan."

Tiadrin weighed the ammunition in her hand and grinned so wide that moonlight reflected deviously off of her smile.

"I'll get the tinkerer."

* * *

Runaan stopped and groaned up at the moon after his ninth internal argument on whether or not he should bother the Silvergrove blacksmith.

The sound of Ethari's forging had silenced about seven minutes prior, so he could have been done for the night for all Runaan knew. A soft light in his main store was all to signify that the other man was even awake, but he could merely be cleaning at this point, or organizing his wares, maybe even going through his receipt books?

"Oh, what am I doing?" He whispered under his breath. "I'm acting like an utter fool. I should just go back home and pretend this never happened."

He turned to walk away when his ear twitched at the sound of a faintly distant whistle, the sound growing louder as a small freckle appeared in the light of the moon, growing closer and louder as Runaan reacted with a confused squint of his eyes.

"Is that a— _oof!"_

**_*THUNK!*_ **

A pine cone smacked him square between the eyes and Runaan growled, letting it fall into his hands as he looked left and right for the culprit. There was no wind, no trees above him, and what's more, the aim had been deliberate.

 _An animal then, or was somebody messing with him?_ He wondered, veering more towards the latter.

With a growl, he tossed it aside and continued watching his surroundings on high and aggravated alert, pacing further away from the forge now that something else had gained his attention. If the offensive action of striking an elite assassin wasn't bad enough, this mysterious figure might have watched his shameless back and forth banter in front of the forge. The embarrassment of that act alone was enough for him to want to find out the face of his stalker and figure out exactly how much they'd heard.

"Alright, you've had your laugh! Now show yourself!"

There was no reply.

He looked into the sky, the waxing moon a sore sight as he realized any one in Silvergrove with enough practice could be masking themselves with illusory camouflage to hide better above. 

With a low growl, he readied himself to react to any sounds, a footstep, a snapped twig, a branch rustling... anything that might signify a slip up on the part of his nosy assailant. Lain and Tiadrin were on their date, so he'd like to hope they were not behind such a prank, though knowing them he wouldn't yet rule out their involvement in his discomfort.

"I swear if this is the two of you..." He muttered, still waiting for his sign and still surveying the forest trees as he stepped closer and closer towards the edge of the grove.

* * *

At the same time however, Ethari was just in the process of tightening the tool he had splayed out on his workbench when heard something striking the doors behind him. It was a soft scratchy noise, something just noticeable enough to break past his concentration on the tools in his hand.

**_*SCRITCH!*_ **

Another soft thud and slide as the projectile hit his door and fell to the pavement. 

_This seemed to have been the third one unless he had missed a couple?_

"How strange?" he hummed, setting down his work before rising from the workbench in order to walk over and investigate the door. It didn't feel him with any fear _per se,_ but he still opted for caution as he approached and as he grabbed at the knob with his dominant hand, he opened one door just a crack to poke his head out, when—

_***THUNK!*** _

"Yow! Wait what?"

A small pine cone ricocheted off his head and onto the ground where four others were starting to pile up by the door. 

"Is someone out there?" He called, though not loud enough to show any confidence that he wanted somebody out there to answer back.

He looked all around, not seeing any creatures or children who might be behind the distraction, but just as he was about to give up and go inside, he caught a glimpse of white as an elf below seemed to be pacing around as if on guard for something. Ethari strained his eyes, squinting so the figure might come into focus, when he realized he recognized the figure below and furrowed his brows curiously.

Only one elf in the Silvergrove had that slim, muscular figure and hair so long and perfect. The way it glistened in the moonlight as he walked made it shine like spider's silk, and for a moment Ethari only watched before sliding a ways down the door and catching himself before he blushed and straightened himself upright. 

"Runaan?" He called, though he seemed not to notice him. The trained assassin appeared to be searching frantically for something as he jarred back a step, reaching down to pick something up and then throw it in a random direction with a rising aggravation. 

Ethari chuckled.

"Seems I'm not the only one getting picked on tonight?"

"Show yourself!" Runnan ordered sternly in the distance. "I will not ask politely again!"

With another laugh and a stretch, Ethari popped his shoulders and let out a small shrug before closing the door behind him.

"I can take a hint though, "mysterious pine cone spirits". I suppose this is as good a time as any for a break anyway?"

He bent over and grabbed one of the cones by the stairs and began down the ramps over to where Runaan hunted tirelessly for his assailant, no longer caring for the potential pine cone culprits who had disturbed his evening's work.

* * *

"Oh, he's pretty cute," Tiadrin said, watching as the tinkerer left his forge with the bait in hand. "I think we found our reason for Runaan's good mood."

Lain snuck up a few moments later and followed her eyes to where she was looking.

"Oh, he's not bad at all is he?"

Once they retreated deeper into the trees, the two assassins removed their camouflage, their midnight colored skin reverting back into the soft mauve color it typically was as their markings changed from cyan to purple and their scleras faded back to white.

"He called us "pine cone spirits," she said with a quiet giggle. "He's a pretty patient gentlemen, probably pretty friendly too. Did you see the way he looked when he noticed Runaan?"

"No..." Lain took a breath. "It's not easy maneuvering around these trees without Runaan noticing. It took a lot of herding to get him back towards the forge without trying to pinpoint my throws back to me."

"Oh, but you did a good job, Lain. They're heading right for each other now. Hopefully our grouchy friend won't make a fool of himself in front of the forger."

"I don't know? The last few shots got him pretty riled up. You know Runaan can't take a joke to save his life."

"True." She made a face. "I guess all we can do now is wait and watch while hoping for the best?"

They leaned forward, trying to get a good view of the two as they closed in on each other, both worried yet hopeful as Ethari approached an aggravated Runaan. Lain watched extra cautiously as he muttered softly under his breath.

"Try not to mess this up Runaan."

* * *

The young assassin growled, readying himself for another projectile to come at him from any direction, his eyes on the treeline and his dual short blades out as he concentrated harder on the canopy of leaves above him.

"This is no longer amusing! Whoever is throwing those obscurities better reveal yourselves now or else you will pay the—"

"Pesky pine cone spirits plaguing you as well?"

The sound of the sudden gentle voice nearly made him jump out of his skin, but Runaan played it off well enough by flipping around to face his speaker without swinging his weapon in his direction.

"Ethari!" He nearly choked, his face feeling suddenly hot and embarrassed as the kind forger stepped towards him, Runaan quickly sheathing his weapons as he almost considered going into camouflage appearance just to hide the look he no doubt had on his face.

Ethari didn't seem to mind though and he laughed a soft, amused sound in Runaan's direction before gently tossing one of the pine cones into his hands.

"It seems you and I have been targeted by some vengeful forest spirit tonight. I wonder what we could have done to deserve such a fate as "endless pelting by pine cones"?"

Runaan sensed the joke and forced himself to laugh, confusing himself for a moment as he straightened his stance and recomposed himself.

_He never laughed at such trite jokes before, certainly not when Tiadrin or Lain made them. Why laugh now?_

He realized that Ethari was starring at him and shut off his mind long enough to allow his mouth to form a response.

"You too?" He frowned. "Is this a common occurrence here? Getting pranked?"

Ethari laughed again.

"No, but I'll take any sign for a break if it means something so unusual as leading me out here to find you. So tell me, what brings you out so late, Runaan?"

The young man felt himself blush hotter and stood taller in order to compensate for the fluster.

"Oh uh... well... I am new here, as you know, so I was just wandering the perimeter and reviewing the barricades of the Silvergrove. It is a structurally safe village, both with the enchantment spell to enter and the protective placement within this— this— umm..."

"Grove?" Ethari finished with polite grin.

Runaan felt himself blush harder than he thought was possible and nodded dumbly back at him before clearing his throat.

Ethari clapped once to break the sudden awkward silence between them and motioned forth with an ice-breaker.

"So Runaan, are you settling in alright? I know you've been here a few days now, but I haven't seen you around much outside the training area. Aside obviously this morning... and of course right now... on your patrol..."

"Right. Umm... I am adjusting, but this land is far different than the guild grounds I'm used to."

"Oh really? How so?"

The earnest question in his voice broke Runaan's guard for a moment to the point he couldn't help but offer a reply.

"The guild is in a mountain for starters, so it's not as open as the Silvergrove. Plus the people here all seem so peacefully complacent. Interactions and customs are just not what I am used to. I was born in the capitol, in the guild grounds, and despite my relocation being an inevitable stepping stone of my training, I suppose I never truly imagined how to properly immerse myself into another village without longing for those dissimilarities of home."

"You're homesick," Ethari stated.

"On the contrary," Runaan argued. "I am torn between my duty to the guild and my assignments to this village. I— well— I never wished to be sent here, and now that I am, I still wonder what it is that my leaders hope to have me learn while I'm here. I was at the top of my class, so this— it all just feels underwhelming at times. I wonder why I am here."

"Oh I see..."

Ethari frowned and Runaan's hands were immediately cutting through the air to smack his words away. 

"Not to say this isn't a beautiful village! The people here are friendly and the weapons you craft are enough to make a man forget his worries, but I was just stating that I—"

"You like my weapons that much?" Ethari interrupted, a bright, glowing smile warmly rising across his face like freshly baking bread inside a kiln.

Runaan, both taken back by the sudden interruption and also a tad blindsided by the sight of the tinkerer's overflowing joy made him lean back a ways and simply nod his head.

"Yes?"

His glinting smile stopped just as it peaked moonlight levels and he eagerly stepped forward to close the gap between them.

"In that case, do you have a moment? If you can break away from your patrol and your hunt for the pine cone spirits, then I'd like for you to come up to the shop for a minute. I want to show you something I've been working on since you left this morning. Something that I'm sure will lift your spirits a little and make you forget your worries, as you said."

 _Runaan instantly regretted saying that,_ but he nodded anyway.

"Oh... um... alright. Please, lead the way."

With a spring in his step, the forger turned on his heel and grabbed Runaan's wrist, leading them back up the ramp to his mountainous working area above. Runaan could only stare stupidly at his own hand as the tinkerer dragged him along, strangely to no dissatisfaction of the assassin who knew he would normally be apposed to such contact.

Ethari burst open the doors and led him through the quiet darkness of the shop from this morning, only to motion over to his workbench and the soft, glowing lights Runaan had noticed from the other side of the windows earlier.

"Tada!" He said with a singing excitement and another moonlight smile as he gestured towards his desk space.

Runaan stared at it, noting the weapon among all the other parts and tools that were strewn along the table next to piles of papers and blueprints the likes of which he had never seen before.

The silver shine of the metal was the first thing he noted about the fresh new weapon. It was made using great craftsmanship and had a beautiful smoothness to the design, but Runaan was unsure as to what kind of response Ethari was looking for, and more than anything else, he was just afraid of giving him the wrong one. Still though, he tried his best to stare at the blade and sound sincere.

"It's a remarkable short blade?"

"For now," Ethari nodded. "But that's not what I wanted you to see. Get a look at this!" He took the weapon back and flicked it once, twisting the blade into its own hilt as what came back out was now a curved hook and an entirely different weapon!

Ethari waited in anticipation as Runaan's brows lifted, his face the picture of surprise and rising elation that the tinkerer was hoping for on the way up here.

"Incredible!" He exclaimed. "You actually got your designs to work, and so soon? We were just talking about this _this_ morning and you've made it work already!"

"I had the two weapons already pre-made, but I worked on that trick hilt a little earlier and once I started I just couldn't stop until it was working. I was actually in the middle of the final tweaks here and there before I move on to the more cosmetic additions like the hilt designs and the touches of color."

"May—" Runaan was hesitant, trying to remain polite as he was raised to be, but wanting more than anything to hold the weight of the metal in his own hands. "May I try it out, Ethari?"

"Please, by all means!"

Runaan studied the weapon even closer now as Ethari placed it eagerly into his hands. He flipped the hooked blade back to short sword and repeated the shift again with different speeds, each increasing once he started to get more comfortable with the feel of it.

"Remarkable!" 

Ethari blushed a little, retreating bashfully into himself as he held his hands together and smiled wider.

"What can I say? You've inspired me to give it a real shot. It's no bow to sword combo, but it's a start at least. I feel like after all we spoke about this morning, that these could really be useful to someone someday."

"I think you may be right. I still can't believe you— oh!"

Runaan's smile flipped, causing the sudden shift in mood to shrink Ethari's grin as well.

"What's wrong? Did you find something off?"

"No, it's not that at all, it's just that you're bleeding." He pointed. "Right there."

"I am?" Ethari asked, searching his arms and hands only to realize he'd caused a small cut to form on the back of his left forearm. He laughed at it and returned a sheepish look to Runaan. "Oh, so I am? I guess I should practice a bit more before I start doing any tricks with the balisong half of this weapon."

"Are you okay?"

"Oh sure. I get little cuts and scrapes all the time. It comes with the job of working with pointy metal objects all day. I'll be fine."

"Do you have anything to treat it?"

"No, no! It's fine! I promise the most that is hurt right now is my pride. Really, it looks worse than it is."

Runaan shot him a look, amused, if not a little testing, as one brow lifted and he studied the blacksmith's face, a dark grin forming on the side his cheek as he did.

"Well, even so, we assassins have a saying that might do you good to follow as well."

Ethari returned the look with one of uncertainty, feeling his skin growing chill-bumps as the assassin stepped closer to him and grabbed his arm. He was for some reason terrified, but that feeling wasn't entirely unwelcome as the forger decided to let whatever was about to happen just happen.

"Oh y-yeah? What's the saying?"

"Even the smallest cut can leave a blood trail," he said softly, winking as he studied the wound. "You know, they told us that people used to lick their wounds to speed up the healing process. Something about proteins in their saliva that are actually good for quicker healing."

Ethari swallowed once.

"I-is that true?"

"Perhaps?" Runaan said, leaning back and slapping a cloth from his side bag on top of the injury. "Seems a bit archaic in hindsight. I've heard humans think us bloodthirsty, but I bet it had something to do with these old healing tricks."

"Oh..." he replied, a bit dejected as Runaan applied pressure and then rubbed a small solvent across the line with his thumb before pocketing the cloth and vial again into his side bag.

"There you go, good as new. Now the first thing your customers see coming in here will not be blood stained along the floor."

"A handy trick. I never took assassins for the medical sort?"

Runaan grinned.

"Well, a dead assassin is no good to anybody, so we have to take care of ourselves. The body is the greatest weapon one can wield you know?"

Ethari got a bit of his zest back as he admired the quick fix one final time and nodded.

"Yeah, and you have a point. Blood is probably not the most welcoming sight for a weapons shop, I suppose?"

Runaan chuckled and reached for the weapon again, admiring it a final time before returning it gently over to Ethari.

"You were right, Ethari, that did cheer me up. I'm eager to see your final product. I've noticed the craftsmanship of your arrows. Your cosmetic designs are just as unique as your forging skills. Tell me though, is it all just for design or is there some of that "intricate aerodynamics" involved like we were talking about this morning?"

"Sometimes, but to be honest, I simply enjoy drawing swirled designs." He gestured to his face. "As you can see."

They laughed again, quieting after a moment into noticeable silence before Runaan cleared his throat awkwardly and felt his cheeks burning at prolonged exposure to the forger's brown eyes.

"Well, I suppose I should let you get back to your work."

"And you to your hunt for the pine cone culprits?" He teased.

"Right..." Runaan felt his ears dip a little. "Not one of my better moments. Though I'm sure I have two very good ideas of who to set my sights on."

He got a look of determination mixed with whatever light threat was masked beneath and Ethari chuckled, nodding approvingly as he set the blade down on his work desk and offered to walk Runaan back towards the open doors.

"Well, I'll see you out then. Don't want to keep you from your evening's plans."

"Um... Perhaps I can stop in again soon to inquire a bit more about a weapons order? A personal one this time, not just for the students. After seeing your work, I feel a bit inspired myself to look into something different now that I'm in a new place. Perhaps something to brighten my perspective of my reassignment to Silvergrove?"

"Well, I'd be happy to help. It's an intriguing challenge you've created with that wording. I may of course need to observe your techniques and take measurments to craft a perfectly unique weapon for you. And hey! You just worry about paying me once it's perfect, alright? We'll tweak it as many times as we need to."

Runaan surely had a look on his face now, and chose to shake it away with a nod.

"That is acceptable. Please come by the training grounds whenever you'd like."

He smiled back.

"Likewise. You can come in the shop whenever you want. Even if I'm not out front, you know where to find me."

Runaan stared at him a bit as he felt the door frame lightly brush against his shoulder.

"Oh!" He swallowed. "That sounds perfect! Well, goodnight then."

Ethari blinked, his smile flickering as he decided internally whether or not he should speak the words that were on his mind. He stepped out onto the pavement, letting the gentle moonlight wash over his face and hair, watching as Runaan's own were already glowing in the night air, and with that sight, he decided in that moment to just say it anyway.

"Forgive me for asking this Runaan, but has anyone ever complimented the color of your eyes before?"

If Runaan were to be stabbed in the leg by those make-believe pine cone spirits wielding one of Ethari's interchangeable weapons, he probably would have been less surprised than from that single comment.

"Wh-what?" He stammered, finding it hard to reset himself yet another time to steady his resolve. "No, I don't think so?"

"Really?" Ethari continued, a bit more of a suave confidence closing in as he leaned against the doorway and pointed. "It reminds me a bit of the camouflage warriors wear on the nights of the full-moon. I always liked that color. Thought it was interesting is all."

"Oh, I see..." Runaan said, mentally telling himself NOT to shift into camouflage by accident by thinking about it too hard. Unironically it was the only thing his mind could manage to focus on though and he slowly melted into that of his Moonshadow powers.

"Exactly! Just like that. Oh wow! You look incredible!" His eyes got a little wide and he momentarily stopped breathing as he replayed what he had just said in his mind and then came back full force with much louder, much quicker words. "Oh! Wait! Sorry if that was weird! I don't get many visitors up here to begin with, and I'm only good at talking about weapons, so for everything else, I kind of just say what I'm thinking. I just saw you change and I got carried away! I didn't mean to freak you out! Oh man... Ethari this is why nobody comes up here!" He smacked a hand over his eyes, his dark skin turning even darker all the way up to the tips of his ears as he blushed from humiliation. "Sorry Runaan, truly I am."

"No!" Runaan smirked quickly, the fluster giving him a momentary relapse of previously lost confidence. "I take your words as a compliment actually. I'm afraid, I am simply not used to such genuine compliments, unless of course it is about weapons as well. In that at least we can agree... weapons are pretty great, aren't they?"

Now he smacked his face.

_Weapons are pretty great!? What does that even mean? Why did he just say that!?_

Ethari chuckled under his breath, a hand come up to block his smile as the other removed Runaan's grip on his own face.

"I guess we both have a lot to learn outside of our comfort zones, then."

Runaan grinned, feeling the weight of his hand still on his own as they both lowered them and relaxed their stances just ever so slightly.

"Perhaps we do?"

They smiled at one another, Runaan feeling a slight tugging in his chest that drew him closer to the blacksmith, the only thing separating them, the threshold of the doorway when a loud—

_***SNAP!*** _

Sounded and Runaan instantly shot around, weapon drawn as his other hand grazing against Ethari's abdomen protectively.

"I've got you now! You two, up there! Come down here this instant and don't try anything smart!"

"Probably best not to try anything stupid either?" Ethari's nervous voice added as Runaan pressed him backwards defensively.

Lain and Tiadrin appeared from the side branches a moment later, their landings silent and flawless, but their reserves each awkward and obviously ashamed at being caught by such a rookie mistake.

"I take it these two are our pine cone spirits?" Ethari asked with a humor in his tone.

Runaan did not laugh this time, only sulk deeper into his glare and anger as he sheathed his weapon and let the camouflage fade back to his normal appearance.

"How long have you two been following me?"

"Runaan, it's not what you—"

"How long?!" 

They shared a look between the two as Lain stared at the ground. 

"Pretty much the entire time. Since you left the house."

Runaan's eyes narrowed deeper, a bit of blush creeping in, though whether the color was created out of anger or embarrassment was unclear. Probably both if Lain and Tiadrin were taking bets on it.

"Sorry Runaan, but we noticed how you were acting when you came back this morning." Tiadrin explained. "We just wanted to see what in Silvergrove had made you so uncharacteristically happy for once, especially since you were so upset about your transfer here."

Now his ears folded all the way back as he took a large step away from Ethari and his two meddlesome teammates.

Ethari was smiling, though nervously, unsure if he should be polite or confused to the new guests, or whether he should mask his joy that meeting Runaan this morning had made him so happy as to concern his friends.

"Well now that that's all settled. Um... Runaan, do you want to introduce me to your friends?" He asked pleasantly, his smile and manners fading as he turned back and watched Runaan stepping away from their group. "Runaan?"

He took a look at his face, but his was not as amused by the sudden interruption as Ethari's was. In fact, Runaan looked almost humiliated, unsure of how to cope with what was happening, and quickly becoming overwhelmed by anger, shock, and shame.

"Runaan..." Lain started, but Runaan merely turned his back and shouted at him over his shoulder.

"Don't follow me!"

The sheer spite in his tone sent a chill through all three of them, Ethari becoming so shocked that he reflexively took a step back.

With that one warning Runaan leaped into the air, scaled the cliff with amazing grace, before disappearing over the edge without another word.

"Oh dear..." 

"Look what you did!" Tiadrin said with a smack to Lain's arm.

"Ouch! Hey? This was your idea too!"

"I didn't snap the branch! What kind of assassin snaps a branch!?"

"One who was pushed into it by his nosy teammate trying to peak through the windows!"

She blushed and the two seethed silently at each other as Ethari merely turned his attention back towards them and watched.

"Well, I didn't mean to embarrass him!"

"I didn't either!?"

"Umm..." the forger started.

They snapped out of their argument, remembering he was there and suddenly feeling very, very out of place.

"Right... the tinkerer." 

"Um so... there's a good explanation for all of this," Tiadrin started. "Hi! I'm Tiadrin. This is Lain, and we're Runaan's friends."

"Once he stops being mad at us that is," Lain added. "We're sorry. We didn't really mean to meet you like this."

Ethari nodded a bit absentmindedly, his reaction time still a little off from the sheer confusion and shock he had mixing around inside of him.

"Ethari." He greeted with a nod. "I'm a bit worried about Runaan. He seemed really upset. Should we go to try and find him?"

Tiadrin ran a hand along her hair and sighed.

"Runaan has his moods, but I've never seen him like that before."

"It might be better to let him cool off a little first?"

"Again!" she said quickly. "Sorry for the trouble. We'll get out of your hair for the night and try again when we have enough time to pretend none of this ever happened."

"But wa—" Ethari started.

"Bye!" The two waved, and with equal speed and grace as Runaan, they leapt from the cliff side and disappeared back into the trees before he could finish his statement.

Worriedly, Ethari merely stood outside for a few long moments, trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened. Eventually he settled his sights on the spot where Runaan had vanished and with a determined glare, grabbed a scarf from inside and closed the doors to his workshop before marching down the ramp in that direction. 


	3. A Lesson Learned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Runaan finds a quiet place to recover from his latest embarrassment, only to be plagued by memories from his last day in the assassin's guild. He stews in his recent regrets and fresh humiliation until a few words of advice come to him from an unexpected visitor, and he begins to learn more about why he was sent to this village in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: December 28, 2019

“This is the day!” 

Runaan grinned, his eyes almost glowing with enthusiasm as he stared up at the open gaps in the mountain wall where sunlight was pouring through to illuminate the grounds. 

It was their last morning in the guild capitol, their last days as assassins in training. This was what they had been striving for since the beginning and now the day of reassignments was finally here at last. No more group missions with an escort, no more local stakeouts in the capitol city. They would be completely on their own, all free to take as many risks and make decisions as they desired, and Runaan could hardly wait.

"Are you two almost finished?" He asked impatiently.

"Kind of in the middle of something here!" Lain grunted, his face going three shades darker as Tiadrin had him in a headlock.

She laughed, a bit out of breath herself, as he retaliated by slinging her over his shoulder and into a solid pin.

"Runaan's right. Warm ups are going to make us late, Lain."

"Then you could always yield and we can get on with it?"

His smile was matched only by the sharp determination growing in her eyes, her signature competitive streak kicking in as she decided that Lain was not about to win this morning's battle, and it was no longer allowed to end in a draw.

"Is that so?"

With a final flip, Lain was sent toppling over her with a _whoop_ and a _thud_ before Tiadrin pressed her knee into his chest and held her dagger just above his throat, her smile simultaneously pleasing to look at while also striking him as annoying since she'd just successfully bested him in combat yet again.

"Alright... alright... I yield!"

"Great!" Runaan clapped, his courtesy as fake as his smile while he restlessly snapped for them to hurry up. "Now let's go! Let's go!"

Lain grumbled with a roll of his eyes as she stepped off of him. Tiadrin then bent over and offered out her hand, her smile soft and enthralling in such a way that the young elf forgot entirely about his defeat and had no choice but as to mimic the same expression back to her. With a final laugh, he took her hand and the two dusted themselves off before Runaan practically pushed them ahead of him and out the training chamber doors.

“Alright! We get it! We're moving!" Lain chuckled, pulling himself away long enough to get his own footing.

"Someone's a little too eager this morning, I'd say?"

"So what do you think they’ll do with you, Runaan?”

“He’s at the top of the class!” Tiadrin interrupted. “He’ll probably make it straight into the Dragon Guard with his skills. After all, he _is_ the only one who can manage to beat me in the sparring circles.”

Lain shot her a testing look until choosing to return his attention to Runaan.

“Well anyway... that _is_ all you’ve been talking about since we were kids. I'm sure everyone here knows how badly you've wanted this.”

“It’s true. To become a member of the Dragon Guard is a great honor. I can think of nothing better for my relocation than that, though I’m sure I’ll just be placed somewhere here in the capitol as all guild-born assassins are apt during their relocation assignments. A Moonshadow assassin fresh out of training hasn't been allowed to go directly to the Storm Spire for their relocation since—”

"Your great great grandmother..." Lain and Tiadrin answered, their voices bored and automatic as they shot their friend equally teasing smiles.

"We know!" Tiadrin laughed. "But there was a war going on back then. The Guard needed anyone they could get, even if it meant taking in fresh graduates."

"Even super impressive ones like your relative."

"I suppose?" He admitted. "Though I have since broken all of her records, including those previously held by my own father. They should at least take that into account, shouldn't they?"

“ _Careful._ That might be as close as you've ever gotten to bragging about yourself, Runaan.” 

“Oh, quit teasing him Lain. Runaan doesn’t get that little twinkle in his eye very often. Let him dream.”

Runaan lifted a brow but smiled, choosing to take their words lightly rather than give into their playful banter and mockery.

“At least you two will be happy to return to your birthplace? I hear the Silvergrove is a beautiful village. You will protect it well and I’m sure train many others to do the same.”

"It's been so long since we left that I don't remember it very well anymore, but I've heard that once you get there, it all just sort of molds back into place and makes it like you never left."

“Yeah..." Tiadrin frowned. "Though, it’s a shame we’ll be splitting up the group. It took forever to break through that hard shell of yours Runaan. Who knows how long it will take you to make new friends once we're gone?”

She lightly jabbed at his shoulder repeatedly until he finally shrugged her off with a snort and a look.

“Making friends is not my highest priority, Tia.”

Her expression flipped.

“Hey, you want another scar to match that one on your hip? I thought you’d have learned your lesson after the first time?”

“Sorry, sorry!” Runaan laughed. “Slip of the tongue, Tiadrin.”

She blew out a stray hair and smacked him much harder across the shoulder. 

“I’ll allow it _only_ because I won’t have to look at your stupid face after today.”

They walked quietly for a few moments after that until her smile began to shrivel, eventually becoming a frown and she pulled him into a tight hug that stopped their path to the main chambers.

“I’ll get in on that! Come here!” Lain teased, embracing Runaan’s other side as the two trapped him beneath their strong grips.

“Oh, we’re going to miss you, you big dummy.” Tiadrin said somberly. “Promise to at least write us every once and awhile, okay?” 

“Yeah, or else we’ll scale the Storm Spire to come and embarrass you in front of the Dragon King and Queen!”

“Alright! I believe you!” He laughed. “I promise to stay in touch. Our bond is sealed, so how could I not? You two _are_ my best friends after all. ”

“You too, Runaan. You too.”

"We're your only friends!" Lain chuckled, flipping Runaan's long hair over his head just in time for him to escape and get chased around the halls. 

As they neared the main room, one of the older assassins heard their playful antics and wandered by, snapping his fingers for their attentions.

“Shouldn’t you three already be in the main chambers to hear your new assignments?” He asked, a white brow lifted high upon his forehead.

“We’re on our way now!” Tiadrin replied with a bow.

"Just got a little nostalgic is all, Wynnan!" Lain added, mirroring the same gesture.

“I see." He hummed with a small flash of amusement. "Well best be off with you then. Who knows what happens to assassins who miss their own relocation ceremonies?”

They each gave him a polite farewell as they ran by, whispering accusations and giggling down the hall as the older elf watched them with a fond nostalgia for the youth.

“Good luck you three. It’s going to be a lot quieter around here with you gone!”

“Thanks Wynnan!”

“That wasn't a compliment!” He called distantly but with a laugh to follow. "Hurry along now kids!"

They were in the main chambers a moment later, the other four teenagers their age already lined up and ready to be gifted the knowledge of where they’d spend their futures. The trio had just enough time to join the line and straighten their stances before the doors opened at the other side of the room and the leader of all the assassins wandered in, followed by a few of the other teachers and council members who made up the guild.

Runaan resisted the urge to smile, his eyes focused ahead just as he was taught, but secretly watching as their leader, Maekrix, passed him by and cleared his throat to begin his speech for those before him.

“Each of you have been training relentlessly for this day, and now the time has come to return your potential to the people of Xadia. They will live well knowing your watchful eyes remain focused on their safety and protection.” His aqua stare studied each of them as he nodded contently to himself and held out his hands to the group. “Life is valuable. We take it, but we do not take it lightly. As assassins you understand these terms greater than anyone. Now is the time. Please recite the oath.”

The young graduates formed a circle, their fists charged for the center as each of the seven of them recited a line from the assassin’s oath.

“My life for justice!”

“My breath for freedom!”

“My eyes for truth!”

“My strength for honor!”

“My blood for justice!” 

“My heart for Xadia!” 

“Moon reflects sun, as death reflects life!”

After which, they broke apart and reformed their line as the leader stepped before each member to finally reveal where they were heading. For the six, they would be returning to their home villages, but for Runaan, it was going to be a little different.

He'd hoped to be made a member of the Dragon Guard. He’d worked his whole life for this and he’d trained harder and longer than any of his peers to make that dream his own new reality. He’d make it into the Guard and he would surely do all in his power to make his guild and family proud. For Runaan, this was all he’d ever wanted. Which is why he tuned everything out a little as he thought about it over and over again in his mind while Maekrix spoke to the other graduates.

“To Lain and Tiadrin,” the leader said, stepping over to them and placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “You will be returning to the Silvergrove to reveal all of your efforts to your people. They will be proud knowing that your life’s hard work and dedication will be returned to them with a strength and skill amplified tenfold. The training you two will initiate for your village will surely grow more up and coming assassins in the coming years, and the guild awaits the next duo of young students you choose to follow in your footsteps. We here wish you well in the life that is to come.”

“Thank you, sir!” They replied in unison, bowing and shooting a hidden wink to Runaan before raising back to a waiting stance.

“Which brings me to our last graduate of the season,” Maekrix said, his stern eyes perhaps showing a small flicker of pride, _not that anyone could really tell._

“Sir!” Runaan bowed, his nerves creeping up despite himself as their leader continued, his low voice almost soothing as he stepped over and stopped in front of him. Runaan stared down at his boots as he awaited his permission to rise, his body nearly shaking with excitement. 

“It has been many years since our last guild-born student was sent to relocation. Truly this is a joyful day, as it is the guild-borns who show the most skill and promise of us all. Your merit has not gone unnoticed.”

He motioned for the young graduate to lift his head from his bow and placed a hand on his shoulder. It was heavy, _perhaps from the weight of his life's strength and responsibility,_ but it was also gentle, _maybe from his grace as an assassin or perhaps just because of his ties to Runaan himself?_

“Runaan, you have excelled in your training. The Shadow Guild has been your birthplace, your home, and your life. As all children born of assassins beneath the Twilight Mountain, you must prove that you will do anything to protect the innocent by learning from those outside of the guild’s walls. You will be assigned a relocation position until such a time you have passed your trials and personally learned three great truths, all of which you do not yet know that you are unaware, but will each show you an important lesson which will change your life for the better. Only after completing this goal will you then return to the guild and take your place as an official member of our ranks.”

Runaan felt his back stretch in anticipation as he nodded.

“That is why we of the council have studied your progress and have come to the conclusion to place you where you will be most effective at achieving your three life lessons.”

_Here it comes! The capitol… the Dragon Guard… Oh, all the stars in the night sky did he want it to be the Dragon Guard!_

“For these reasons, Runaan, you will also be sent to protect..."

_Here it comes!_

"The Silvergrove.”

Runaan did not hear the words _“Capitol”, “Storm Spire”,_ or _“Dragon Guard”_ anywhere in that sentence, which is why it took him a few extra moments to register what words were just said to him. A shocked look from Tiadrin, then Lain with his mouth agape, as well as wide eyes from the other graduates only helped to confirm his fears as to what the leader had just ordered of him.

“The Silvergrove?”

Maekrix did not respond to the statement, he only turned and addressed the room as everyone performed their parting gestures and said their final farewells to the departing graduates. The entire thing was a blur for Runaan who heard only muffled sounds and saw only pitied looks on any face that passed by him.

 _To be assigned into one of the three Moonshadow Villages…_ it was almost insulting. No guild-born had ever been relocated to one of them before unless they had been cast out as incompetent and in need of the other two assassins to babysit them. _But I was at the top of all my classes,_ Runaan thought. _Surely this had to be some sort of mistake?_ _A diversion of some sort, or a joke at the very least?_

He needed to speak with Maekrix immediately and get this sorted out. Scanning the room, he let everything else in the chamber drift away until finally he watched as the leader stepped unseen into his chambers off to the side. There would be solitude there, and Runaan followed him almost trance-like until he was through the crowds and safely behind those same closed doors. 

“Ah, Runaan!” He greeted, his thunderous voice low and calm as he wandered over to sit at his desk. “Come to say your final farewells?”

As always, his tone came off as civil and matter-of-factly, but to hear so now made a twinge of aggravation spike through Runaan's spine, especially now that he broke eye contact with him in order to rummage about the papers and tomes along his desk. Blinking, the young graduate came to as he stared at the man behind the table and furrowed his brows just ever so slightly as to address the severity of his next few words.

“It is about my relocation assignment location, sir.”

“Ah yes, you will do great work in the Silvergrove.”

“Yes, but I thought that I was at the top of all my classes? My potential would be wasted in the Silvergrove, especially with capable members such as Lain and Tiadrin already stationed there. Permit me to know why it is that you have chosen to send me there?”

“You sound displeased, Runaan. I thought you would be overjoyed to be staying close to your friends?”

“This is not about friendships, sir, this is about my life. I thought with my achievements, I would be granted into the capitol city as customary, or into the Dragon Guard even for excelling at my studies.”

“You are not ready for the Dragon Guard, Runaan. You still have far too much left to learn.”

 _Not the words he wanted to hear._ The statement alone was akin to being stabbed, but he ignored his bruised pride long enough to try and maintain what little rationale he had left as the remainder slowly dwindled away with each passing second.

"Very well, then at the very least, guild-borns are assigned to remain in the capitol city, but what you assign me is practically a banishment for a failure I did not commit. I have shattered every guild record in my time here, many previously held by you yourself! Why are you casting me out like this? I deserve to know what it is I've done wrong!"

"You are acting like an arrogant child."

"If I am arrogant it is only because you taught me to be so, Father!"

Runaan stood his ground despite the fear welling in his chest at talking back to his leader. It wasn't often he even called him “Father”, but when he did it typically was not reciprocated by any sort of paternal affection. His father seemed to notice the impotence as well, and his eyes darted towards Runaan's face as if pulled taught by an invisible string.

"You think you are so above your assignment that you are also above your fellow assassins? You think yourself _too good_ for the service to the people of Silvergrove?"

"I think that I am destined for something greater than what's been presented to me! With this assignment, you deny me my right as a worthy guild-born and refuse to tell me why. It isn't fair!"

"Then my son, you have learned one of your three life's lessons early. Life is not fair and just because you work towards something with all your strength, it does not mean you are still obligated to be rewarded by it."

"So that's it then? Everything I am, all of my potential, my effort… all for nothing?"

"If you believe your duty to the Moonshadow Elves for nothing, then I fear I have failed you in ways not even your reassigning can repair."

“Please Father, I beg of you. What do I have to do to prove my worth and readiness to you?”

He sighed and looked up from his work, those stern aqua-colored eyes growing colder by the second.

“You will have to complete your service and learn your three truths, Runaan. Only then will I consider you for a member of the Guild or a member of the Guard. You will never learn these lessons here in the capitol, and you will be especially clueless if you are sent to the Storm Spire now. _You simply are not ready.”_

He drilled those last five words harshly, and Runaan, eyes rocking, could not accept such a small and vague excuse.

“But Father, I—”

“Enough!” He shouted, standing with a slam to the desktop as his did. “Arguing is unbecoming of an assassin of your skill, Runaan. I expect better of your character! You will follow your orders as given and you will not question my judgement. That is the end of this discussion.”

“Y-yes… of course…” He stammered, his eyes visibly frustrated, but his upbringing tearing down his will to further question his disagreements.

His father sighed and walked over then, causing Runaan to flinch once, until he merely placed a hand on his son's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze, the heavy weight and gentle grace the same feel as it was back in the other room.

“You may not understand now, but once you learn what it is you still need within you, you will be grateful to have ended up where you have.”

Runaan tore away, his eyes full of anger, pain, and confusion.

“Grateful? After all I’ve done to make you proud, you belittle my achievements by sending me off to a retirement village on the outskirts of Xadia?” He was shouting now, but his father seemed unfazed by it. “You have marred me a failure in front of the guild and taken away the only thing I ever yearned for, the only thing left that I could do to prove my worth to you.” He took a few breaths and turned towards the door. “But then again, I suppose a lifetime of work means nothing to you in the end because clearly I did not do enough.”

His father was silent, only causing Runaan’s anger to rise as his voice chilled like ice over his shoulder and he reached for the door.

“At least if I am to spend my days rotting in the Silvergrove, I will finally be out from under your shadow. With or without your unjust punishment, I will do my utmost in the Silvergrove and prove myself by becoming a member of the Dragon Guard, and what's more, I will get there without your help!”

And that was his final word as the door slammed shut behind him.

* * *

_"Ugh!_ Why did I say that?" Runaan groaned.

He was resting on a ledge, his fresh humiliation with Lain, Tiadrin, and Ethari just another root in the tree of his technical "banishment" to the Silvergrove. Just as that day in his father's office, he'd once more allowed his temper to get the better of him. He'd yelled at his father, at his friends, and just when he thought he had found something in Silvergrove that he actually liked, his emotions had flared up again, and now he dared not show his face for fear the forger might think him childish.

 _Oh but I was acting childish._ Runaan told himself. _Fighting with Maekrix, allowing my goals to be clouded by emotion..._ _These were not the actions of a worthy assassin... they were the impudence of a vain child!_

He let out a heavy sigh.

"Perhaps he was right? Perhaps I'm really not ready?" 

Reaching over, Runaan picked a drooping blue flower, a moon-ray blossom that was quite common in this part of Xadia and growing in abundance atop this new perch he'd chosen to be his den of solitude for the evening. After starring into it wistfully and wishing he could undo multiple events throughout the past week, he twirled it around in his hand and let it go from his grasp with a single phrase.

"Anon ekess vynnetia!"

The flower lit up in a small spark of starlight before turning into a foggy image of a butterfly, the aurora colors blending in a flow of movement as the wings took the illusion higher and higher into the night sky.

_***POP!*** _

It burned away in a small explosion, popping apart like a tiny sunburst as the petals drifted down below onto the unsuspecting quiet village of SIlvergrove, all evidence of it burning away before any remains could reach the earth. Runaan watched it all with another regretful sigh before resting his chin on his knees and starring out at the view of his unwanted new home with a sullen frown.

"That's some impressive magic you've got there."

Runaan jumped at the sudden, unexpected voice.

"Sorry!" He said suddenly, sounding a bit winded as he motioned his hands calmly to get him to return to his sitting position.

Runaan did so, but only because it was Ethari standing there, and for some unknown reason his presence was calming enough to make the otherwise seething assassin totally indifferent about the sudden intrusion. Runaan wondered if it was the comfort the blacksmith exuded that kept allowing him to sneak up on him, or if it was just Runaan losing his edge so soon after his relocation?

"How did you find me here?" Runaan asked, his voice a bit tart, but mostly tired as he broke eye contact and settled back into his slumped-over position.

Ethari didn't seem to mind it because his voice remained just as kind and gentle as it always did, even when he had been berating him earlier for wandering into the forge.

 _That must just be the type of man he was though?_ Runaan figured, wondering briefly how the forger could be so strong as to make his sincerity appear _easy_.

"Well..." Ethari explained. "You said you had taken a tour of the perimeter before wandering up to the forge, so I just sort of hiked up the hill and wandered the edge of Silvergrove until eventually I saw your flower trick just now and found out where you'd gone." He rubbed his ear nervously, his eyes darting back to him as he repeated his first question. "An impressive use of magic if I've ever seen one!"

Runaan motioned out with a flick of his hand and shrugged.

"It was just a tawdry illusion. I'm not exactly a high mage."

"It’s still special though!" He argued with a soft amazement. "You shouldn't sell yourself so short. I can craft enchantments on metal objects, but I could never do what you’ve done. High mage or not, you continue to surprise me, Runaan."

He smiled gently, and ever so gradually loosened his apprehensive grip on his legs.

"I should be the one who says that to you. You know, it's not just anyone who can manage to sneak up on an assassin? It's almost as dangerous as wandering into a blacksmith's forge."

Ethari chuckled and offered him a playful bow.

"I should thank you then for choosing to spare my life." He stepped closer and pointed down repeatedly with one finger. "May I join you up here for a little while?"

Runaan scooted over silently and made a motion for him to sit.

"The view is amazing!"

Runaan nodded and followed the eager-eyed gaze out onto the view of Silvergrove, taking in all the lights and sounds coming from within. It was just as beautiful and peaceful as it was from his walk through town, or up in the trees, but Runaan didn't exactly share Ethari's enthusiasm.

"So..." Ethari continued, slapping his knees to draw back Runaan's attention. "I hope you know that what happened back at the forge wasn't a really big deal. You shouldn't feel embarrassed on my account because I didn't think anything of it and honestly, it's really nothing to be embarrassed over because—"

"It's not really that." He interrupted, his ears growing darker and lower with every word of Ethari's rambling explanation. "It's a little more complicated. Everything else all piling up together all at once, and I let it get the better of me."

Ethari placed a hand on his cheek and waited patiently for Runaan to continue.

He let out a sigh.

"I've acted childishly and allowed myself to become distracted from my goals. More than once, and both too recent for comfort."

"How so?"

"By letting my friends get under my skin. By talking back to my leader and letting my temper get the better of me. I shouldn't be so quick to forgo my composure, especially when faced with something unpleasant."

"Well, that all just sounds like normal emotions to me? Everyone gets frustrated or upset from time to time, especially when things don't go the way they hoped."

Runaan turned his eyes towards him and Ethari smiled, his hands splaying out as he continued his story.

"You should have seen me this one time! Okay, so I had just spent ten days on this massive battle axe, right? And, as soon as I go to connect it to the handle, it wouldn't stick! I could not get this thing to weld together and I nearly threw it into the forge wall myself, I was so mad, but then I realized my heat was just too low because it was winter and there was a tunnel in the rocks diverting some of the heat into this Moonstrider den, and it turned out that all I had to do was find an alternative warmth for the Moonstriders, then sneak in when they were out, plug up the hole a little and I—" He drifted off and let out a small cough. "And I'm talking too much. Sorry, you get the point though. _Umm..._ maybe you could talk now? I'm a pretty good listener if you feel like sharing what else is on your mind?"

Runaan chuckled once at Ethari's fumbling, finding it endearing just as much as he did soothing. His smile faded once he thought again about his problem, but there was a sense of ease to him now that Ethari was there, a sense that made him feel like he wouldn't mind voicing his opinions aloud. After all, it's not like the blacksmith could think any less of him after all that had happened today. What would finally admitting his frustrations do if Ethari hadn't been driven away by this point?

"I think my problem is that I get too comfortable with those I decide to form a bond with."

"That's not a bad thing."

"No, but when I am comfortable, I tend to speak out in ways unbefitting of my character. They always taught us that forming bonds would make us stronger, but in my experience it has always made me weak. I don't understand it, especially not from an assassin's point of view. If you open your heart to something that makes living so wonderfully worthwhile, would it not compromise the resolve of an assassin to give their life for the greater good when it came down to the hard decisions we're all expected to make?"

"Th-that's a surprisingly dark question," Ethari said uncomfortably, his eyes growing comically large for a moment before he returned to his listening pose. "What brought this on all of the sudden?"

"That's just it," Runaan huffed. "It's not sudden. I've been wondering it for years now and the question has only gotten worse now that Tiadrin and Lain are tog—"

He paused abruptly.

"Your two nosy friends?" Ethari guessed with an empathetic smirk. "They're together? Like dating or something?"

"Something like that." Runaan admitted reluctantly.

"And you're against it?"

"No!" He started quickly. "No! No, never! I'm thrilled for them, really I am! It's about time too! Everyone could see it back at the guild. The recruiters come to a village and select one boy and one girl who show incredible potential for what we do. Their bond is a common thing to appear in the guild, something encouraged even! My parents were the same, as were many assassins before them. Their children grow to be better and stronger than any of us and that lineage only grows stronger the more elite we introduce to our ranks."

"But?"

"But it makes no sense!" He shrugged. "How does something as powerful— as empowering as love not get in the way of the job? Friendships and those of companions on missions are one thing, but if I had something of that level as they do, I would assume I would want to hold onto it, to give up everything just to keep it with me. That sort of distraction sounds like the very thing that an assassin would want to avoid, wouldn’t you agree? I am starting to think Maekrix sent me here with them not just because of our longstanding friendship, but because of their relationship and how it would get flaunted in my face at every turn."

"Because they were dating?"

"Because they were supposed to be on a date and instead chose to use their time together to meddle into my evening affairs." Runaan rolled his eyes. "If this is the start of their time together, I predict them quickly joining forces against me now that their bond will undoubtedly grow far closer than I care to follow towards either of them."

Ethari chuckled.

"So, you might be a little jealous of them?"

"No!" He retorted. "I just think they are going down a path I cannot follow and I worry their relationship could compromise their resolves."

"Hmm..." Ethari hummed. "Well, you make a fair point, and I'm trying to think of things like an assassin, so all of what you're saying makes sense, but as a forger, I can't help but think you're looking at things through too narrow a lens."

Runaan arched his brows.

"What do you mean?"

"Sure, attachments can become something new and surprising that make you rethink and alter your whole way of existing just to add them into your life, but I think the difference between forming healthy bonds and those that cause you to give up on everything you believe, is caused by the same thing you seem to fear."

"I am not afraid!" Runaan barked back, his face contorting as he blinked an unorthodox amount and shook his head. "Wh-what is it I’m not afraid of?"

"Love," he said simply. "The reason your guild tells you to make these bonds is because the love they will bring you makes you stronger than anything else in all of Xadia. When you have something precious to fight for, I don't believe you would sacrifice to stay with them, I believe you would sacrifice to fight for them, to keep them safe, even if it meant you had to risk everything to make sure of it, even if it meant you'd lose the new wonderful life they'd shared with you."

Runaan watched the grass as he let the tinkerer's words sink in.

"I supply weapons to every villager in Silvergrove and beyond who chooses to fight. I craft their weapon specifically based on their unique skills and specifications, in order to mimic an entire life lived by someone who will then turn that weapon into an extension of themselves. Their power, their protection, and their very history has to be embedded within the blade or else it is just a worthless piece of metal. My weapons in their hands have killed many, but they have also saved many lives, they've been the last things a dying elf has seen before drawing their final breath, and they have been partnered with each person in a way that the bonds between them are like nothing else. I do not take my job so lightly knowing all of that."

He frowned and Runaan watched as he stared distantly off into the village below, his voice hardening as he continued his speech.

"I have seen weapons return without the people I've made them for, and it is almost as if the weapon will never be complete again. That is why most families choose to keep them in a place of honor. It is like a little piece of them is still within it, bound to it in a way. Weapons are more than just for fighting, they are a symbol in which we can leave our histories, and I make sure every weapon is able to express the wielder and the lives left behind to protect those they choose to fight for, the ones who will keep the steel remaining when the flesh cannot. Only people who have love in their hearts are strong enough to make sacrifices of that caliber."

"Now it is you who sounds surprisingly dark." He snuck a look up at him. "How do you know to feel so strongly about this?"

“I just think that when you have something worth fighting for, you have to make the hardest choices. The easy one would be to stay with the one you love forever, but at the risk of losing everything else. The hardest choices are the ones we don’t always like. To leave your loved ones in the attempts at giving them a better life. That’s not something many people realize, but it is the truest and bravest form of love you could give, and it takes an incredibly strong individual to let that happen.”

“Are you speaking from experience?” Runaan looked up and saw tears in Ethari’s eyes, shocking him for the moment before he laughed and wiped them away.

“I bet you thought the Silvergrove was just some backwater village when you first arrived here, huh?”

“Uh…”

“It’s alright.” He chuckled. “The truth is, this is a village of warriors, stronger than any other village in Xadia. We are peaceful because we understand the sacrifices it takes to keep peace alive. Every family, every face down there, they all have somebody who has left everything they loved behind just to try and make this world a better place for everyone else. I don't know a single person in town without somebody like that in their life, including me.”

“Is that why he sent me here?” Runaan muttered.

“What was that?”

“Mae—” he paused, trying to think of the right words. “My father, the leader of the assassin’s guild. He sent me here instead of promoting me to the Dragon Guard. It was my life’s dream, the thing I worked hard to achieve, the reason I pushed myself again and again to be better than anyone else.” Runaan laughed dryly and sunk into his knees. “But he saw something missing in me, something I suppose he believed I would learn in Silvergrove. It appears he was right after all? He knew I didn't understand the sacrifice of love in an assassin's life, but because of you, I was able to figure it out from his perspective. He just didn't want me to be alone for the rest of my life or leave the only two real bonds I'd ever made by training in the capitol or at the Storm Spire." He chuckled dryly. "I suppose that is lesson number two learned then, isn't it, Father?”

Runaan felt a hand on his shoulder, the weight of an arm along his back. It was heavy, not as heavy as his father's touch, but warm and comforting all the same. Runaan smiled as he sat up and looked Ethari in the eyes, his mood lighter than it was before now that he was finally starting to understand what it was he was meant to learn.

“Thank you for helping me see through my disillusion, Ethari... and for helping to fix my mood.”

“Sometimes the greatest illusions are those we use to trick ourselves.” He smiled. “That’s an old Moonshadow metaphor.”

“Really?”

“No...” He laughed. “I’m just nervous and speaking from the heart is all.”

Runaan laughed, a bit louder than he ever had before and then softened.

“Well, your heart has an extremely profound way with words.”

He shrugged impishly, his face blushing a little from the compliment.

“I just read a lot of books and don't get out much.”

Runaan smirked.

“Would you happen to have any good recommendations? I’ve been reading the same material now for years and could always be swayed to see what influences your silver tongue.”

The blush spread.

“Y-yeah... I think I could loan you a few. W-would you like to come over sometime to look for one you might like?”

“Sure.” He nodded. "That would be nice."

"You could bring Lain and Tiadrin by for a proper introduction next time too." He teased, with an elbow nudge strong enough to actually budge Runaan over a few inches. "You know... so they won't feel the need to spy on us from the trees? You're lucky to have such good friends to worry about you, you know? And they seem pretty nice when they aren't throwing pine cones at my head."

Runaan grumbled and rolled his eyes, hiding a smile by placing his chin back on his knees as the two looked out over the village once more.

"I suppose if you say so."

"Oh, one more thing, Runaan..."

He looked his way, startled to see how much closer the other elf had moved.

"Y-yeah?" He asked with a blush.

"Would you mind if we finished what we were talking about back at the forge?"

"About the weapons?" Runaan asked, audibly catching the squeak that had risen up in his voice.

"About you and how incredible you are. I love that you're strong enough to share your emotions with me even though we just met. It's something I wish I were better at doing myself." He winked. "And yeah, also about weapons, of course."

Face fully red now and ears visibly folded, Runaan felt another one of those sharp pangs in his chest followed by the shock of a heart that nearly forgot to keep beating. Words were entirely lost to him as he watched the blacksmith sitting beside him, his face so close that Runaan could smell the smokey forge fire and metallic shavings in his hair and clothing. For a second, he wondered what might happen next, when suddenly the dark skin of Ethari turned into a sort of berry color and he fell over sideways, slamming his face into the grass with a loud exhale of air and nerves.

"Sorry!" He grumbled, mouth muffled by the ground. "I thought I could be cool and say it out loud, but I can't do that and look you in the eyes at the same time. I don't think my heart can take it."

"I suppose bonds are pretty dangerous after all?" Runaan teased with a gentle kick to the other man's leg. "Maybe we take the "stepping out of our comfort zone" goal one step at a time until we get used to it? If you still wish to get used to it?"

He laughed, rolling over with little blades of grass stuck to his cheeks before sitting up and brushing himself off.

"That sounds nice."

Runaan chuckled, pointing to the grass stains on his face before helping pick what bits of nature he still wore on his skin, this of course, only causing both to fume nervously and then start to laugh all over again.

"So... weapons?" Runaan eased.

"Yes! Weapons! Love weapons! Safe topic, weapons!"

"Weapons really are the best, aren't they?"

"Have we said "weapons" one too many times, Runaan?"

Another stare in awkward silence and the two sputtered before bursting out into laughter a third time, unable to contain themselves as they gripped their sides with tears running down their faces, and it didn't seem like the contagious joy would be stopping anytime soon.

* * *

“You think it's been long enough for him to cool off? Should we go find and apologize to Runaan now?” Lain asked worriedly.

“Probably?” Tiadrin said, rubbing her arm in guilty up and down motions. “I feel pretty lousy about the whole thing. I didn’t mean to embarrass him like that, and in front of that boy he's crushing over. Oh no! What if we've ruined Runaan's only chances at love, Lain! I don't think I could live with myself! We have to make this right!”

“I—” Lain stopped abruptly and a small smile traded places on his expression before he nudged her and pointed up with his chin. “I don’t think we have to worry too much about that. Check it out.”

She looked up and saw Runaan and the tinkerer, Ethari, sitting together on a ledge above the village. They were talking, and even from down where they stood, Tiadrin could see Runaan’s smile and laughter from the ground. She had never seen him look that happy in her entire life, and the sight of it caused both of them to smile from ear to ear as they simply watched the two having fun.

“I think I’m starting to like this tinkerer more and more.”

“Me too,” Lain grinned. “We should invite him out with us sometime.”

“Oh, I bet Runaan would enjoy that,” she teased, trailing off with a content sigh.

"I guess our boy is growing up, isn't he?"

"With or without us." She smirked. "I think I'm starting to see why Maekrix forced him to come to the Silvergrove with us."

Lain held out his arm to her and gave her a slight bow. 

“Well, now that all is well that ends well, we still have a little time before that cafe closes. Would milady care to accompany me for a delicious dessert to end an otherwise rocky night?”

She stared at the gesture for a moment, then smiled and slipped her own arm through.

“The lady would care to very much, good sir. Let’s try to make a few lasting impressions of our own for once now that Runaan is happy.”

“We can’t have Runaan showing us up so soon, flaunting his new friendship in our faces, now can we?”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

"Let's get him a piece of this moonberry surprise to go and offer it up as a sort of peace offering for when he gets back tonight. That should settle the last of our apologies, shouldn't it?"

"Good idea. With thoughts like that, maybe they should have put you in charge?"

She nudged him and he grinned back at her.

"With Runaan's skills, and your brains, somebody has to be in charge of making sure the two of you have some fun every once and a while."

"Well, you take good care of us. We're lucky to have a friend like you who's worried about us off the battlefield as well as on one."

Lain merely shrugged, blushing suddenly afterwards as Tiadrin leaned in to kiss him. They grinned and with that, held hands and headed off towards the raved about Moonberry Cafe, thinking that maybe everything in the Silvergrove would turn out a little bit better now that Runaan had finally found something here to enjoy in the same way that they had. As happy as they were when they were together, they were even happier to know Runaan would be okay if they spent a little more time like this together. All he needed was a little push in the right direction.


End file.
